The Secretary Hand ABC
by Alf Ison [BerksFHS 3rd edn 2000]

This guide to reading older documents, including wills and probate inventories, has been a best seller since its first edition in 1982. It guides the reader using the same technique as the alphabet books we used as children with a picture next to each letter of the alphabet. If you are trying to read an old document for the first time this book will help you to understand how the most difficult words were formed. This book ought to be on every family historians’ bookshelf. (JG - Dec 2000)